New owners set gold standard

Despite only reopening their doors in September, the new owners of Good Home Pukekohe have already started making a name for themselves.

Good Home Pukekohe won best signature dish and best cocktail at the Pukekohe Business Association’s Pukekohe on a Platter.

Lyall Minhinnick, co-owner and head chef, said that the competition came about when they first opened the restaurant and looked at ways to generate business and get their name out there.

“We were looking for what we could apply for, and we found the Pukekohe Business Association doing Pukekohe on a Platter, and we thought it would be an awesome goal to aim for.

“We sat down as co-owners and talked about the dishes and cocktails we wanted to enter, and we came up with the ‘Taste of Good Home Platter’, a single platter of seven different entrees to give judges an idea of what they had to offer.

“This dish is inspired by the land and produce that Pukekohe has to offer … [with] ingredients from as far as Mercer: Pōkeno Bacon at the bottom of the foggy Bombay hills to the top of Pukekohe using Balle Brothers’ potatoes and other freshly sourced ingredients.

“It was an awesome idea because it shows customers what kind of food they can expect the next time they’re back,” said Minhinnick.

Their second award was for a cocktail, dubbed the Flirtini. The drink is made from peach schnapps, egg white, lime juice, and elderflower syrup and garnished with wildflowers that have sometimes been foraged by Minhinnick. The cocktail is described as sweet but elegant.

Co-owner and manager Putere Putairi said that it took a lot of trial and error and took them a few weeks to come up with the right mix.

“Just finding the right combination of elderflower syrup and the right portions of the correct ingredients together.”

Putairi believes that foods with strong, bold flavours would go well with the Flirtini’s strongly sweet aroma.

“It’s on the sweet side, so we do suggest quite a heavy meal, which would be our pan-fried snapper that is wrapped in bacon. It’s quite creamy, which is rich, so I think the floral sweetness (of the cocktail) would complement the richness of the fish.”

Pukekohe on a Platter was organised and supported by the Pukekohe Business Association, which uses the event to promote restaurants and cafes in the area. The event showcases the unique food culture and what the area can offer visitors from New Zealand and across the world.